


Hot Summer Days

by Musafir



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, M/M, Marauders' Era, Partial Nudity, Possessive Behavior, Protective Older Brothers, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 23:55:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17131103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musafir/pseuds/Musafir
Summary: A heat wave leaves James and Sirius feeling all kinds of hot and bothered. Remus has nary a clue. He just wants to nap.





	Hot Summer Days

**Hot Summer Days**

 

“My dear Mister Prongs.” Sirius said, in what could only be described as a strangled tone of voice. 

 

James shifted his head to the side, but couldn’t bring himself to lift his face off of the cool surface of the bathroom floor. He was placing his full trust in the house elves that the floor was clean. And if it wasn’t...the heat suffocating the tower had him rethinking his policy on germs. The bathroom floor was the coolest thing he had touched all day. 

 

“Padfoot.” James grunted. He really hoped that whatever Sirius was clearly bursting to say wouldn't involve him getting up. 

 

“I just happened upon the most curious sight.” Sirius said, still in that odd tone of voice. 

 

“Did you?” 

 

“Ah, yes. I almost thought I was hallucinating you see, this  _ heat _ .” James fully understood. “But the throngs of voyeurs convinced me otherwise.” 

 

“And what did you see, Mr. Padfoot?” James asked, closing his eyes and trying to soak up the last bit of coolness before Sirius got to the point. 

 

“Well, it appears that Evans and our darling Moony have taken up residence in the common room.” 

 

James quirked an eyebrow, confused. 

 

“So? What's the problem? They hang out all the-” 

 

“Solely in their underthings.” 

 

James was off the floor and in Sirius’s personal space so fast, even he wasn’t sure if he had apparated or not. He finally took in Sirius’s expression and was sure that his own face was mirroring it. 

 

“ _ What _ ?” He nearly hissed. 

 

“Ah good, I thought perhaps you knew and allowed our fair maiden Moony to leave the tower looking like a muggle hooker. Onwards then!” Sirius spun on his heel and led the way to the staircase, James practically breathing down his neck. 

 

“Throngs of voyeurs? I’ll fucking obliviate them all. Evans is there too?” 

 

“Her herbology club has done wonders for her body.” Sirius noted blithely. 

 

James growled. 

 

“Come off it, mate. You know I’m more interested in sausages.” 

 

Halfway down the staircase, they heard the echo of voices heralding the arrival of some of their dorm-mates. 

 

“-...doesn’t play, not like Potter and Black, but damn he’s fit for a bloke. I wonder what he does, can’t be natural.” 

 

“He spends all day in the library mate, I don’t think he’s sneaking off to practice fitness in between practice tests. Might just be good genes.” 

 

“Can’t be! He’s sick all the time. Not that you could tell, did you see-...” 

 

The voices abruptly came to a halt as James and Sirius came into view and blocked the way. On their faces were twin blank smiles, more than a little alarming for one to come upon. The three Gryffindors that had been making their way up the stairs froze, one with only one leg on a stair as he had been midstep. 

 

Sirius greatly considered knocking him back down. 

 

“Hey lads.” James said, cordially. “What are we talking about?” 

 

“P...P...Potter.” McMillian stuttered. “Nothing! Just...heading upstairs.” 

 

“Nothing?” Sirius asked, in a too silky tone of voice, “I could have sworn I heard you say our names.” 

 

“No! No...must’ve been something else we were...we were talking about….”

 

“Quidditch!” Saved by another of their group.

 

“Quidditch.” James said, with a raised eyebrow. 

 

“Yes. Quidditch. Sorry, we’ve really got to head up, I’ve got to...feed my cat. See you around Black, Potter.” 

 

With that, the three younger Gryffindors pushed past their barely contained housemates and ran up the stairs. 

 

“Thought this house was known for our bravery? Standards have seriously fallen.” Sirius remarked. 

 

“Oh, don’t make that joke-....” James groaned. 

 

“I would know. I’m always Sirius.” 

 

“Sirius.” James sighed. 

 

Sirius huffed a laugh beside him, and then nudged his shoulder. 

 

“Come on, mate. Let’s go save our darlings from the lecherous eyes of our compatriots. It's worse than you think.” 

 

James and Sirius made quick work of the rest of the stairs and then strode into the common room. 

 

Usually it was a warm place with multiples hangings, fires merrily roaring, numerous stuffed armchairs, and a dim ever present roar of students. The sudden heat wave changed all that. At the moment there was a lull of muted tones, all fires had been put out and any chair with too much padding had been deemed hazardous and abandoned. 

 

The common room lay mostly shadowed with swaths of light cutting through from where the windows had curtains drawn at angles to let in the breeze but keep out the sun. It was in one of these beams of light that James spotted his two targets. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hushed whisper take up as students nudged each other and nodded in their direction. He saw a few people hastily look away from the sight that he was transfixed by, and almost didn’t begrudge them their helpless stares.

 

Almost. 

 

Remus unconsciously competed for his gaze with Lily. The two were spread out by the window, closest to it and were seemingly unaware of their audience. They looked like sun nymphs, uncaring or perhaps unknowing of the reaction they were causing; utterly languid and secure enough in their surroundings to let their guards down entirely. It was perhaps an image that a magazine would greedily covet for their main spread, but instead, it was on full display in the bloody common room of the Gryffindor house. 

 

Jame’s grip tightened on his wand and Sirius’s mouth flattened into a severe line. 

 

Most of their peers had opted for their lightest clothes, but Lily and Remus appeared to think even that was too much. 

 

Lily sat on the window ledge, a white cropped shirt that bared her midriff fluttered gently as the breeze played with it. Her long vibrant hair was contained atop her head in a messy bun and she periodically brushed away the loose strands that were blown into her eyes. A book lay propped up on the other end of the ledge, but her face was clearly tilted more towards the sky. A pair of teeny tiny denim shorts graced her hips, leaving her long shapely legs on display. One was propped up against the window and the other trailed down and rested on Remus’s back. 

 

Remus lay below Lily, somewhat hidden in the shade of the ledge. The light still managed to dance upon his skin as the curtains at other windows fluttered. He lay on his stomach, slender muscles in his back clearly on display as he had gone a step further and forgone a shirt entirely. His long slim legs were in the air, bent at the knees. His head was pillowed in his arms, face resting upon the book that he had intended to read. His features were lax, a look previously only known to the boys that he shared a room with; it took years off his face and left him looking young and vulnerable. The only thing he wore was a pair of very form fitting black shorts that only made his porcelain skin stand out more.

 

He must have cast a glamour before stripping with impunity. None of his scars showed. 

 

James had never wanted to put clothes on another human being before, but he felt the desire now. Either that or run and go get his invisibility cloak. He had a feeling neither would be appreciated. In step with Sirius, James made his way over to his wayward roommate and  _ something _ . The line with Lily was very blurry right now, and he knew that even though every instinct he had screamed at him to remove her from the lecherous eyes of his peers, he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. 

 

He could, however, move Remus. And if Remus moved, Lily might move. And if she didn’t...well at least he would have stopped Remus from being admired like a piece of meat. 

 

“Mr. Moony.” James’s voice cracked like a whip across the muted din, and he felt guilty, having not meant to sound so strict. The common room fell silent behind them. 

 

Remus shot up, head lurching off his arms and eyes wide as he tried to shake off the last dregs of sleep and see what had woken him. He finally craned his neck back and looked at Sirius and James. Above him, Lily also woke from her doze and glared at them. James steadfastly ignored her. 

 

“Prongs? Pads? What's happened?” Remus mumbled, sitting up. He let his back rest along the wall and his head came to rest along the edge of the ledge Lily sat on. He looked seconds away from falling asleep again. 

 

“Remy darling, what is the meaning of this?” Sirius asked, stepping forward so he covered Remus’s new position from sight. With his legs curled up, head thrown back, eyes at half mast, and a slight flush from the heat, Remus looked irresistibly enticing and James knew that Sirius was seconds away from hauling the boy over his shoulder. 

 

Hell, he was seconds away from it himself. He didn’t like some of the stares the older students were throwing their way. He could even see a cluster of pubescent third years furtively shooting glances their way. Remus, for all his brains, somehow seemed to be unable to comprehend the simple fact that he was absolutely alluring. Granted, not in the way that James and Sirius were, which was probably what was skewing his perception. Remus was polite, intelligent, gorgeous in the way that people overlooked at first, and then did a double take. 

 

The main difference was that Remus was approachable. To anyone. 

 

The number of headaches this had caused James and Sirius had probably surpassed the number of pranks they had played over the years, which was impressive to say the least. 

 

“We were studying.” Remus said, innocently answering Sirius. He looked up at Lily putting his long neck on display. “Sorry, Lily. I think I dozed off.” 

 

“It's alright. I think I did too.” Lily said, swinging her legs and sitting up at the edge of the ledge. “Shall we finish?” 

 

James refused to let her lean form distract him. Remus was already reaching for the heavy tome when James uttered a quick summoning spell and caught the book in his left hand. 

 

Over his dead body was Remus going to finish how ever many hours of studying he thought he still had to do, mostly naked, in front of a crowd of thirsty Gryffindors.  

 

“I think not, Mr. Moony. Upstairs with me, if you would.” James instructed. 

 

Remus looked absolutely baffled. 

 

“Come on. Up you get.” Sirius said, gently nudging one of Remus’s bare feet with one of his booted ones. 

 

“Give him his book, Potter. We’re trying to study.” Lily ordered, unimpressed. 

 

“You  _ were  _ studying.” James said affably, as he watched Sirius haul Remus to his feet with a helping hand. “And then you were napping. And now Remus needs to come with us.”

 

“Remus?” Lily asked, miffed. 

 

“Uhh…” Remus looked between his friends, still utterly confused at the events taking place. “I, uh…” 

 

“Remus.” Sirius’s voice held an edge that had Remus’s eyes imperceptibly widening. 

 

“Right. Sorry, let me go see what the lads want. I’ll see you later, Lily?” 

 

Sirius almost didn’t let him wait for her response, Tugging Remus towards the dorms with a dark look on his face. He felt satisfaction when he noticed that no one dared to look up and watch their progress. 

 

James watched them go, and turned to follow when Lily stopped him. 

 

“You two need didn’t need to order him around like that. It’s not a crime to sunbathe.” Lily said, a hint of defensiveness in her tone. 

 

“Evans. You know I’d never say anything to tell you how many clothes you should or shouldn’t be wearing.” James said with a smile, one that grew wider when Lily glared at him. “But don’t tell me how to treat my friends. It's got nothing to do with you. Love the shorts by the way.” And with that, James spun on his heel and followed after his friends. 

 

Lily watched him go with a glow to her cheeks and then looked around and saw the crowd gathered. She shot them all a furious look, grabbed her own book, and stalked off to her own rooms. 

 

James entered their personal room to see Remus atop Sirius’s bed, spread horizontal on it and laughing helplessly as the owner of the bed sprawled on top of him in Padfoot form, licking as many places as he could reach. 

 

“Paf-...pads...padfoot, off!” Remus laughed, trying to shove the snout out of his face. Sirius whined and then looked up to see James enter. He changed back into human form, making no move to get off of a breathless Remus, and shot James a smug look. 

 

Reclaimed. 

 

James raised an eyebrow in amusement and tossed Remus’s book onto his bed. He looked back in time to see a very human Sirius lick up from Remus’s jaw line to his hairline and the stunned look that overtook Remus for a second. 

 

Then another peel of laughter escaped him as he actively tried to shove Sirius off. 

 

“Oh,  _ gross _ ! Come on Sirius,  _ why _ !” Remus scrubbed at his face. 

 

Sirius let himself be pushed off, and lounged back on the bed, a content look gracing his features. Remus wiped his hand off on Sirius’s bedspread and then arched his head backwards to try and find James. James courteously stepped into his frame of vision so Remus didn’t have to arch awkwardly. 

 

“So, whats up?” Remus asked. He turned his head to the side and reached for one of Sirius’s pillows. He flipped it over to the cooler side and then stuffed it under his head, still entirely unaware of the turmoil he had put his roomates through. 

 

James exchanged a glance with Sirius, and Sirius gave a small shrug out of Remus’s line of vision. He had gotten what he wanted; Remus out of sight of others and still mostly unclothed, nestled on his own bed. James wondered when he would find the balls to tell Remus outright. 

 

Sirius would back him if James explained to Remus that he couldn’t wander around the tower looking like anyone’s wet dream. And it would save both of them a lot of headaches and time if they didn’t have to loom over the slighter boy’s shoulder, glaring at incredibly numerous amounts of perverts that were looking for a good time with an innocent. 

 

But. 

 

Remus was flushed from laughter. Boneless on Sirius’s bed. Content. Happy. Safe. 

 

It was such a rare sight that James dropped the shirt he had been intended on using to make a point and instead grabbed the map. He pointed at a random location. 

 

“What do you think about this location as the end of the year prank?” He asked, steadfastly ignoring Sirius’s look of great amusement. The other boy could go stuff it. James didn’t see him saying anything either. 

 

Remus rolled onto his stomach and pulled the map towards himself slightly. Then he looked up at James with a dubious expression. 

 

“Headmaster Dippets office?” 

 

Sirius huffed a laugh and James did a double take. 

 

“Um. Yes.” 

 

“I don’t think so James. I don’t want to be expelled on the last day.” 

 

James launched into a passionate debate, walking back and forth at the foot of the bed. Remus watched him, face flushed with laughter at James’s theatrics. Sirius rested his hand on Remus’s back and lounged back, utterly content. 

 

James mentally shrugged, at most it was just two more years of protecting Remus’s modesty. Or perhaps less, if Sirius ever grew a pair. 

 

Until then, he would just have to do what he did and protect those that he loved in every way possible. 

  
  



End file.
